Surviving the Ice-Breaking Challenge
Listen to the MEDLEY
NEACURH 2004 @ SUNY New Paltz
Program presented by
Gudrun Haider,
RHA Co-Advisor
University of Connecticut
E-mail:
Problem-Solving Games
The ChocolateRiver
Facilitator should lay down two strips of masking tape on the floor approximately 6-7 feet apart to each other. This will form the riverbanks.
Facilitator will need two paper plates or sheets of paper to use as marshmallows.
Instructions:
Your goal is to get your team from one side of the river to the other. The problem is that you only have two marshmallows to get you across. The marshmallows will hold your weight, but will be pulled away by the current if ther eis not at least one foot/hand/body part on them at all times. (You may not attempt to jump across river.)
Advanced ChocolateRiver:
Each team member has a handicap as assigned by the facilitator…for example, one is blind, one cannot talk, one has no arms/cannot use his/her arms, one needs to walk backwards, etc.
The Safe Blanket
An old blanket or sheet.
Instructions:
All team members are standing on the blanket. Your task is to turn over the blanket, but you cannot step off the blanket. You are only safe as long as you are standing on the blanket.
Advanced Safe Balnket:
Each team member has a handicap as assigned by the facilitator…for example, one is blind, one cannot talk, one has no arms/cannot use his/her arms, etc.
Human Knot
The Group starts out in a tight circle. Everyone in the group reaches across the circle with their right hand to grab another group member’s right hand. The group then reaches in with their left hand to grab a different group member’s left hand. The object is to untangle the group without letting go of hands until a circle is formed.
Advanced Human Knot:
- There is not talking.
OR
- Team members are assigned handicaps such as one cannot talk, one is blind, etc.
Birthday Line
Explain to the group that this is a nonverbal exercise. The group is to form a single straight line, according to birthdays. For example, persons with January birthdays will be at the beginning of the line, earliest January dates first followed in order by later dates. The line progresses by months and days with December birthdays at the end. Persons with the same birthday share the same place in line. You must communicate nonverbally (no lip-reading or spelling in the dirt allowed). When the line is completed, each person will shout out his/her birthday, beginnining in January.
Blind Polygon
The object of the game is for the group to form a perfect square and a triangle (and other shapes if desired) using the given length of rope. Ask participants to put on blindfolds. All participants must have at least one hand on the rope at all times. All participants must remain blindfolded until the task is completed. When the group believes the task is finished, ask them to remain their blindfolds, without moving from their current places. Using the same procedure, ask them to form any geometric shape you think is possible for the group.
Height Line
Ask participants to close their eyes (if they feel comfortable). Without opening their eyes, the group is asked to arrange themselves by height in a straight line. They may choose to arrange by feeling height or some say their height out loud. The only restriction is that they may not open their eyes.
Shoe Sort
Creatively divide the groups into two smaller groups. Then tell a space sotry while handing out the blindfolds. They then need to describe that everyone has been left speechless from some sort of space disaster. The leader continues to tell the group that they need to be fitted for space boots before they can go on their voyage to return to earth. The group must line up in order of shoe size from smallest to largest - without the use of sight or sound! Have group use bumpers. Once the group has completed the task, process what happened.
Artist, Clay, Model
Participants divide into groups of three (an artist, a model, and some clay). One person is the model and “strikes” a pose. The artist must close his/her eyes or be blindfolded and turn the person who is clay into the replica of the model. Note: You can have person be blindfolded BEFORE the model strikes a pose, to make it more difficult.
Team-Building
Count to 10
The group sits in a circle with their eyes closed. The goal is to count to 10. Someone must randomly call out each number (no assigned order), but if two people call out the number at the same time, the group must start again from 1.
The Machine
One participant starts by making a sound and a movement. Another one “attached” himself to the first participant, also doing another sound and another movement. Others follow. At the end, all participants are connected, making a sound and a movement, and building one big machine.
Advanced Machine Game
The object of this game is to create a machine out of a group of people (i.e. ceiling fan, hot air balloon, watch, etc.). You might want to split your group into two or three smaller groups. Each person is required to be accountable for one noise and one motion of the machine. The group members should then put their motions and sounds together to create the machine. Give each group about 5 minutes to work together and prepare, and then have the groups present to everyone. Ask the other groups to guess what machine the group is.
HA!
Have the group lie on the ground or floor. Position each to lie their head on another’s tummy. One of the end people will start. The one that starts say one “HA!” The person that has his/her head on their tummy goes next and says, “HA HA!” With each person, add one “HA!” If there are 30 people, then the last person should say 30 “HA’s!”
Hagoo
Separate the group into two even groups and have them stand in two separate lines (shoulder to shoulder) facing the opposite group. The two groups should be about three or four feet apart. The players at the opposite ends of each line are opponents. They will step out of the lines, so they are facing each other and looking down the middle of the two rows (like an old cowboy shoot-off). They will both say, “Hagoo” and start to walk down the row toward each other. They must not break eye contact and the object is to get to the opposite end of the line without laughing or smiling. When the players pass each other, they must continue to maintain eye contact. If a person does break eye contact, laughs, or smiles, they then must join the end of the line of the opposing team. The teams can do or say any silly things to make the opposing player crack up, but they must be careful not to make their own player lose concentration. The teams may NOT touch another player. This process will continue until everyone has had a turn. The team with the most players at the conclusion of the game, wins.
Killer
Everybody will start close together with their eyes closed and thumbs up. The leader will squeeze the thumb of one group member. That group member is the “killer.” With eyes still closed, the killer will squeeze the thumb of another group member twice. That group member becomes the sheriff. Once the two positions have been established, everyone can open their eyes. Nobody should know who is the sheriff or the killer. Everyone begins walking around, making eye contact with everyone else. The object of the game is for the killer to kill everyone without getting caught. The killer does his/her killing by winking one eye at someone. If the killer winks, that participant that was winked at, is dead. Anyone killed by the killer must count to twenty and only the sheriff may guess who the killer is. The sheriff also can be killed by the killer. If the sheriff’s guess is correct, he/she wins. If they guess wrong, they immediately die, and the killer wins.
Ongoing Tag
This is an ongoing tag game that you can initiate at the first meeting of the group. You tell the group that one of them is “it.” (Tell that person privately.) The object is not to be “it.” The “it” may tag another person in any way they like (i.e. touch, telephone, sight, fax, email, mail, through a friend, etc.) as long as the person being tagged can realize they are it. The game can last for as long as you wish and makes for a lot of laughs and funny stories. The group need not know who it is so that the surprise factor is increased and on-going. There are no rules and no limit to the number of times the “it” can change in any given time period. A fun variation to the game includes agreeing that the person who comes to the next meeting of the group as “it” brings refreshments or a teambuilder, etc.
Slaps
The group begins by lying on their stomach in a circle with their heads facing the middle of the circle. Every participant’s right arm goes underneath the left arm of person to their right. The left arm should be over the right arm of the person on the left. One person will be designated to start by slapping the ground once with one of their hands. The person who’s hand is to the right will do the same and so on counterclockwise. If someone decides to slap the ground twice, the direction will reverse. If a hand messes up by hesitating longer than two seconds, slaps prematurely or out of order, that hand is removed from the game. Once a player has removed both of his/her hands, they are out of the game until the next game. When there are only two people remaining, the game has ended. NOTE: This is a great cool down activity.
Sounds in the night
Late at night, animal sounds drift into the darkened house; dogs howl, crickets chirp, cats cry, owls hoot, etc. In this game, the animals are indoors and play a noisy game of ball.
Have everyone sit in circle with their eyes closed. The room is darkened. Each player selects an animal sound to mimic as his/her own personal signal. If group members run out of animals from which to choose, divide players into separate groups. The first player makes his/her sound and then the sound of the animal to whom they want to roll the ball. The animal who is “called” replies so the first player knows where to direct the ball. The first player then rolls the ball. If the intended player receives the ball, they respond loudly. All the other animals rejoice in unison by making their sounds as well. However, if the intended player misses, the ball goes back to the first player to try another animal.
Toe Fencing
Have participants find a partner and face each other, holding hands. They then try to tap the tops of each other’s toes with their own. When an individual scores three “hits,” it is time to switch to a new partner. Beware! This is NOT toe STOMPING, so make sure players understand not to be too rough in their tapping. Hint: It is helpful to have players be “equally armed” (i.e. shoes and shoes, sandals and sandals, or socks and socks).
Whooo?
This is a night activity (and pretty spooky too - YAOW!). Ask for four or five volunteers to be hiders (owls, if you will). These folks hide in the nearby woods. Have these “owls” pick a spot that allows their clothing to blend into the dark and shades of gray. Each hider should take about a dozen identically numbered pieces of small paper with them (or you could give each a different color), and head for their chosen spot. Give them a few minutes to situate themselves, and then let the seekers begin their individual searches. Each hider has the option to make a characteristic sound occasionally, to help the searchers, particularly if no one is close. When a seeker finds a hider, the hider soundlessly hands a numbered piece of paper to the discoverer. When a seeker has collected a slip of paper from all the hiders, he/she can retire from the game watch things (or confuse everyone by making animal calls of their own!). No flashlights allowed!
Balloon Tag
Tie strings to balloons and then tie one balloon to each person’s ankle. It is every man/woman for him/herself in this one! The object of the game is to pop everyone else’s balloons while making sure that your’s does not get popped. Once your balloon is popped, you are out of the game.
Banana Relay
This activity is very similar to the “Neck Race.” However, in this game, a banana is placed between the knees of the first person, and it must be placed between the next person’s knees - without using any hands. If the banana drops, it starts with the first person in line. First team to finish successfully, wins.
Blob Tag
This is a great dame to play with other groups. First establish the boundaries and pick one person who wants to be “it.” This person is the beginning the “blob.” That person now chases people and everyone that he/she tags grabs onto the person that is “it” (grad their hand or shirt). As more and more people are tagged, the blob will get bigger and bigger as you can split it into smaller “blobs” if you wish. Obviously, the last person to be tagged is the winner.
Clothes Pin Tag
Give each player four clothespins. Each player tries to get rid of their pins by attaching them to the other players’ clothing. A player’s four pins must end up on four separate players.
Everybody’s It
Just as the name says...everybody’s it! The object is to tag without being tagged. Once someone has been tagged, they squat down and they are temporarily out of the game. The “tagged” can resume play when the person that tagged them squats down from being tagged. Note: If two simultaneous tags occur between two players, both players squat and they count to 60 before they can continue to play. Honesty is key.
Jolly Green Giant
This game is very similar to Sharks and Minnows. Two lines need to be established about forty yards apart. Everyone starts from behind one of the lines. Two groups members are chosen to be giants. The giants stand between the lines. When the giants say, “Jolly Green Giant,” the rest of the group runs to the other line trying to avoid being tagged. If a group member gets tagged, they become sprouts. Sprouts go down on their knees, and they can tag others with their hands, but they cannot move from their permanent position. The giants continue repeating “Jolly Green Giant,” when the remaining are at the appropriate end. The last two to avoid being tagged become the giants in the next game.
Life Savor Relay
This activity is similar to the “Banana Relay” and the “Neck Race.” In this game, each team member receives a tooth pick to place between their teeth. The first person in line is given a lifesaver by the leader. When the leader says, “GO!” the lifesaver must be passed to the next person without using any hands. If the lifesaver drops, a new lifesaver will be given to the first person in line.
Loose Caboose
Groups (trains of 3 or 4) depending upon the size of the group are made up with the individuals lining up behind each other forming a train. The game is a tag game. Two people are designated as “it” and two are the “loose caboose.” The object of the game is for those who are “it” to tag the players who are the loose caboose. The loose caboose, however, can avoid being tagged by hooking on to the end of the train. Once a player hooks on to the end, the first player in the train then becomes the loose caboose. The train can also try to avoid being hooked onto. Once a player has been tagged, they then become the “it,” and the “it” becomes the loose caboose.
Partner Tag
The game is started by each group member getting a partner. Between the two partners one will decide to be “IT.” The leaders should establish boundaries (small ones may be better). The person who is “IT” will give his/her partner a five second head start before the chasing begins. The chasing is done in the form of walking. Once the partner has been tagged, they become the new “IT” among the pairs. Before the new “IT” can start chasing his/her partner, they must spin around three times. This pattern will continue until “peak fun” is reached. Note: Remember, NO RUNNING.